Breakdown of Wij houden ons bezig met de bespreking.
de bespreking
the discussion / the meeting (consultation, talk)
zich bezighouden met
to occupy oneself with
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Questions & Answers about Wij houden ons bezig met de bespreking.
What is the full verb here, and why do we need ons?
The full verb is zich bezighouden met (to occupy oneself with / to be busy with). It is a reflexive verb, meaning it requires a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject. Since the subject is wij (we), the reflexive pronoun is ons (ourselves).
What does zich bezighouden literally mean?
Bezig means "busy" and houden means "to keep" or "to hold". So literally, the phrase means "to keep oneself busy" with something.
Why is bezig separated from houden in this sentence?
Because zich bezighouden is a separable verb. In a standard main clause, the conjugated part (houden) takes the second position, and the separable prefix (bezig) gets pushed towards the end of the clause, just before the prepositional phrase (met de bespreking).
I've learned that a meeting is a vergadering. How is a bespreking different?
While both translate as "meeting", a vergadering is usually a more formal, structured assembly (like a committee or staff meeting). A bespreking comes from the verb bespreken (to discuss) and is typically a specific discussion, consultation, or a slightly less formal meeting to talk over a particular topic.